


Candlenights

by taztaas (manala)



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Candlenights, Family, Fluff and Humor, Gen, Gift Giving, TAZ Candlenights Exchange 2018, Traditions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-03
Updated: 2018-12-20
Packaged: 2019-09-05 19:11:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,687
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16816690
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/manala/pseuds/taztaas
Summary: My fics for the Candlenights Calendar thing I'm a part of. Tags to be updated!





	1. Lights

**Author's Note:**

> We're doing a Candlenights Calendar over at [seikkailuvyohyke.tumblr.com](https://seikkailuvyohyke.tumblr.com/), you should check the blog out! We got art and fics :3

Contrary to popular belief, Taako wasn’t a Candlenights person. He wasn’t paying much attention as he trudged through the snow on the surprisingly crowded (considering the weather) streets of Neverwinter with Angus in tow. Taako wasn’t a fan of the cold (except for the boyfriend-shaped kind) or the snow or any of the bullshit that came with the winter months. The only good thing about the temperature dropping was the fact that he didn’t need an excuse to curl up on the couch, buried under five blankets, with a mug of something warm, spicy and steaming in hand.

So yeah, the foods and beverages associated with winter were the only good thing about the whole thing and the only reason why Taako was currently freezing his ass off in the snow-covered hellscape that used to be a city once. Only one shop sold the good chai and Taako was going to get it even if it killed him. Which it might, he thought as he glared at the glacial wind blowing snowflakes into his eyes and pulled his scarf up higher to cover his face more.

And damn it all, but this trip was taking forever. Their progress was already slow thanks to the snowdrifts and the wind but on top of that Angus kept dragging his feet and pulling on Taako’s hand for some reason, gods it was like dragging a sack of potatoes. When Angus stalled _again_ for what felt like the twentieth time Taako stopped with a huff and whirled around.

“Angus, _darling_ , pray tell, why are you so adamant to turn us both into fucking icicles?”

But the boy wasn’t looking at Taako, he didn’t even seem to notice they’d stopped. He was looking to the side, multicolored lights reflecting from the lenses of his glasses (snowflake free, thanks to a handy little spell Taako had taught him) and a small awed grin on his face. Taako blinked, caught off guard and turned to see what was casting the rainbow of light on the boy’s face.

Lights. Everywhere, strung above, between every lamppost, glinting in every window like every home and business owner in Neverwinter had decided to get into the Candlenights spirit with devastating dedication. Every building was decked with lights, both magical and mundane in origin and in almost every possible color.

Taako realized his jaw was hanging open and he closed it quickly, though it was unlikely that there were any witnesses to his unguarded expression. He tucked his scarf around his neck and face more securely, just in case and reached out to touch Angus’ shoulder.

“Hey, Ango.”

The boy started, pulled out of his daze and grinned sheepishly once he met Taako’s eyes. “Sorry, sir! I got distracted.”

“No shit,” Taako muttered but couldn’t keep the amusement out of his voice. “You like the lights, huh?”

Angus nodded enthusiastically and grabbed Taako’s hand automatically as they started walking again. Taako stubbornly ignored the weird feeling that swelled in his chest at the action, deciding to unpack _that_ later. At least now Angus was keeping to his side, instead of lagging behind.

“My parents never decorated their house for Candlenights so I really like how they put up lights in the city every year,” Angus said happily.

Taako hummed non-committally, deciding not to dwell on the way Angus had talked about his home as ‘his parents’ house’ instead of his own.

Candlenights, huh? Taako hadn’t really thought about what he was going to do around the holiday, now that he had a chance to celebrate it properly. They used to have dinners on the Starblaster so the food-side he had under control but otherwise he wasn’t really sure about all the traditions. Gifts, obviously, he knew that much. They didn’t really partake in that tradition on the ship since the space was so limited. And after that, it was a combination of not having the resources to make or purchase gifts and not having anyone to gift anything to. Or more like _not remembering_ he had the resources and people to give gifts to, but he wasn’t going to go there, not now.

But anyway. Gifts? Not his strong suit. Like sure, he buys Kravitz shit all the time, like he saw something that he thought Kravitz might like and brought it home but those weren’t really _gifts_ in Taako’s opinion, just things he bought on a whim, and gave without any big reason.

Real gifts are given on birthdays and Candlenights’ and whatnot and they require planning, they are more meaningful. Taako shook his head, he wasn’t going to start stressing about gifts just yet. They’d finally arrived at the tea shop and Taako pushed the door open, thankful to have something else to think about.

Taako and Angus got home eventually, their quest for the good chai completed. They spent a moment outside on the stairs to kick off the snow on their boots before entering the house and once inside Taako was so done with all the snow bullshit that he was ready to just throw his coat (and every other thing he’d piled onto himself to keep warm) onto the fucking floor but he managed to stop himself because he knew he’d regret it later. Just look at him, responsible and shit.

He hung his coat up next to Angus’. The boy had already shed all his layers and bounded towards the living room. Taako followed at a much more leisurely pace and found Kravitz sitting in the armchair next to the fire with a book in hand and a cat on his lap.

“Hey, babe.”

“Hey, you guys took a while,” Kravitz said with a smile and Taako rolled his eyes as he walked over to Angus (already sitting on a loveseat with a book of his own) to ruffle the boy’s hair. “Someone got distracted by the Candlenights lights,” he teased and Angus stuck his tongue out at him.

“Candlenights, huh,” Kravitz said thoughtfully, absently scratching the beginning of a beard on his chin (that Taako didn’t let him shave off because uh, _hot_ ). “Haven’t celebrated that in uh, I guess a few centuries,” Kravitz said and smiled at Angus who beamed back at him before the kid started to babble about all the cool light displays he’d seen and at that moment Taako knew he was done for.

He went to the kitchen to put the chai away and to dial a very familiar number on his Stone of Farscpeech.

“Lup? We need to light my house the fuck up.”

* * *

BONUS:

Taako and Lup walked away from the house to observe their handiwork from the street. The house was lit up like some great harbinger of the apocalypse except, you know, made of light instead of darkness. A great unfathomable mass of colors that did not go well together and a mishmash of differently themed lights, some more Candlenights-appropriate than others. Taako especially loved the neon pink flamingos hung on the awning.

No one in the surrounding neighborhood was going to be able to sleep unless they had very thick curtains. Kravitz was going to have a conniption. Or, more likely, give Taako that exasperated but fond look before accepting his fate.

“It’s terrible,” Lup said, pulling her heart-shaped sunglasses down to cover her eyes from the abysmal glare.

“I know,” Taako said, star-shaped sunglasses already on and feral grin in place.

“It’s perfect.”

“I know!”


	2. Warmth

_HOW WAS IT AGAIN?_

“You push the needle through the loop-”

_LIKE THIS?_

“No darling the- the other way, from this side.”

 _OH._  
  
“And then you use the needle to pick up the thread… Yes, like that! And you pull it through… Just like that!”

_ISTUS, MY LOVE, THIS IS INSANITY. I MIGHT AS WELL WILL THE FINAL PRODUCT INTO EXISTENCE. THE CREATURE WILL BE DECEASED BEFORE I AM FINISHED._

“No no no no, love! You’re doing so well!”

_...TRULY?_

“Yes! I’m so proud of you!”

_HMM._

“And everyone loves homemade gifts.”

_HOME, MADE?_

“Something you make yourself!”

_IT WOULD STILL BE MADE BY ME IF I JUST “MADE” IT HAPPEN..._

“That’s quitter talk, and surely Kravitz and Taako will value the work you put in.”

_BELOVED, I AM UNSURE…_

“Nonsense! The yarn you chose is nice and soft, even if the color is a little drab - for my taste but Kravitz will surely appreciate it - and you can’t even see the lumpy, uneven stitchwork thanks to the fluffy texture of the thread!”

_...LUMPY?_

“It’s perfect, sweetheart!”

_I FEEL LIKE YOU’RE HUMORING ME, ISTUS._

“Don’t be silly, Raven.”

***

Kravitz appeared in the kitchen with a bewildered expression and a pitch black box in his hands. The room was warm and smelled of gingerbread.

“Welcome home babe, oh? What’s that?” Taako asked, his ears perking up in curiosity. Kravitz met his eyes but his expression didn’t change.

“...My- my lady gave us a Candlenights present,” he said, sounding confused and lifting the box slightly.

“Oh shit, for realsies?” Taako said with a grin and put down the cookie cutter he was using. He wiped his hands on his apron and walked around the counter to get a closer look.

“Wow, that’s one black box,” he said, peering down at the object in Kravitz’s hands. It reflected no light and seemingly absorbed it instead like some kind of a void. Definitely from the Astral plane.

“Yes.”

“She never heard of gift wrap?”

“I- I suppose not.”

“Well, it’s definitely on brand, if nothing else. Are we supposed to wait until Candlenights to open it or what?” Taako said, putting his hands on his hips and looking up at Kravitz.

“I- uh, she- she said that we should open it sooner rather than later to avoid fatality.”

Taako did a double take. “The fuck?”

Kravitz swallowed. “That’s what she said.”

“Put the box down then and open it homie! Geez!” Taako fussed, going to grab the box but stopping himself before he could, suddenly unsure if it was even safe to touch the thing.

Kravitz nodded and walked over to the kitchen table to set the box down. He grabbed the lid, looked to Taako who just shrugged. He started to lift it.

“Wait!”

“Holy shit Taako, you scared me! What?”

“It’s… not gonna be anything dangerous, right?” Taako asked, looking at the box and biting his thumbnail nervously.

“I’m sure my Queen wouldn’t give us anything hazardous to our health, love.”

“Yeah, I guess so,” Taako muttered. “Go for it, thug.”

Kravitz braced himself and saw Taako do the same from the corner of his eye. He opened the box. Something black and soft-looking was at the bottom.

His eyebrows raised and he glanced at Taako who looked at the box like it had suddenly started singing a Kenny Chesney song. Kravitz snorted, unable to help it. Taako glared at him before looking at the contents of the box again.

“What the fuck is it?” Taako asked and Kravitz took the initiative to put his hand in the box. He grabbed the thing and held it up with both hands.

“It’s… a sweater?”

“A fucking _sweater?!_ ”

“A really tiny one… Oh, there’s a note.”

Taako grabbed the piece of paper at the bottom of the box, faster than lightning. It was a piece of parchment with dark purple, almost rune-like lettering on it. It read:

_MY KRAVITZ. TAAKO FROM TV. ISTUS HAS INFORMED ME THAT THE HAIRLESS, WRINKLY AND PINK GOBLIN I HAVE WITNESSED INSIDE YOUR HOUSEHOLD IS IN ACTUALITY A FELINE, AND UNDER YOUR CARE. I KNOW OF NO THING THAT WOULD MAKE A CAT LOSE ITS FUR IN THE WAY IT HAS BUT TO MY KNOWLEDGE, IT IS CURRENTLY WINTERTIME IN THE PRIME MATERIAL PLANE. I DO NOT WISH TO MEET THIS PET BEFORE ITS TIME SO I HAVE DECIDED TO PROVIDE IT WITH CLOTHING. MY KNITTING IS HARDLY SUFFICIENT BUT ISTUS ASSURED ME THAT GIFTS MADE AT HOME ARE OF VALUE. MERRY CANDLENIGHTS._

Taako burst out laughing, bending in half and slapping his knee while Kravitz stared at the note, aghast.

“Oh, Jeffandrew!” Taako gasped as soon as he was able, “Your mom made a sweater for our cat, Krav!”

“She’s not my- Taako!”

The elf was wiping tears of mirth from his eyes. “Oh, holy shit, this is great. We need to put that thing on Bastard asap and take a fantasy photograph for Queenie.”

Kravitz pursed his lips. “You can be the one to wrestle him into it, I got scratched enough last bathtime.”

“Aww, babe, you know Rat Bastard is a little sweetheart!” Taako said sweetly and gave Kravitz a quick kiss on the cheek before grabbing the sweater and leaving the room, cooing for the cat.

Kravitz rubbed his hands over his face. He couldn’t believe this was his life. This was worse than the time when he walked in on Lup explaining fantasy emojis to the Raven Queen.

An indignant yowl sounded from the next room and Kravitz wasn’t sure if it was his boyfriend or the cat but he wasn’t going to go and find out. He headed for the cookies cooling on the countertop and bit the head off of a reindeer-shaped one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now with ART!! check out Bastard in his new sweater at [hiirenvirna.tumblr.com](https://hiirenvirna.tumblr.com/post/181408247676/also-heres-a-thing-i-did-for-a-secret-santa-we)


	3. Presents

The sound of reality tearing was immediately followed by the sound of ripping paper.

“Damnit Kravitz!” cried Taako, sitting cross-legged on the floor of the living room with rolls of wrapping paper scattered around him. He clutched a small rectangular box against his chest and glared at Kravitz. “A little warning would be nice!”

“Sorry love,” Kravitz said sheepishly, “I forgot.”

“Candlenights is in a couple of days and  _ you forgot?  _ I’ve been busting my ass all day wrapping these fucking presents,” Taako grumbled and gave a petulant kick to a roll of silver and blue paper.

Kravitz hid his smile behind his hand, asking, “Anything I can do to help?” Taako squinted at Kravitz suspiciously as the reaper joined his boyfriend on the floor.

“Depends,” Taako said, “Is this a plot to find out what I’m giving you for Candlenights?”

“No, I swear,” Kravitz lifted his hands in a portrayal of innocence. “Just offering a hand.”

Taako hummed, looking very much like he was considering the situation worthy of a Zone of Truth but after a moment he nodded. “Fine. But keep your eyes closed thug! I was just about to start with your present,” he said, patting the box he was holding to his chest to hide it from Kravitz’s gaze.

“Oh?” Kravitz tilted his head and looked a the box curiously.

“No guessing!”

“Alright, alright. But how can I help if I can’t look?” Kravitz said, closing his eyes.

“You can hold pieces of tape for me. I swear I’m losing my fucking mind with this shitty tape dispenser...” Taako muttered and Kravitz heard some rustling before his hand was grabbed.

“Hold your fingers out and spread ‘em.”

“Yes sir,” Kravitz said and grinned when he heard Taako snicker in response. He held still as he felt his fingers being plastered in numerous pieces of tape. Kravitz listened to the sound of Taako humming a song under his breath and the crinkling of paper. One of their cats came and curled up on Kravitz’s lap and he started to doze off himself thanks to the warmth and Taako’s voice.

“Hey bird boy, you sleeping?” Taako asked quietly and Kravitz found himself unaware of how much time had passed. “Almost,” he confessed. “Are you done? Can I open my eyes yet?”

“Not yet,” Taako said and Kravitz could  _ hear  _ the smile in his voice. And then he could feel Taako’s breath on his face and lips pressed against his smile in a soft kiss.

“Stop smiling doofus I’m trying to kiss you.”

“Sorry,” Kravitz said, not sorry at all, and leaned back in for another kiss. “Happy Candlenights babe.”

“It’s not Candlenights yet, dummy.”

Kravitz opened his eyes and found Taako grinning at him with that sparkle in his eyes that he loved so much. “Yeah, I know.”

“My present better be fucking baller, by the way.”

“Only the best for you, darling.”

**Author's Note:**

> [tumblr](https://taztaas.tumblr.com/) / [twitter](https://twitter.com/taztaas)


End file.
